The 12 Days of Giveaways: Wrap-up

It has been a great few weeks of giveaways here at Lifehack.org, where we hooked-up our readers with the finest productivity gear that we could get our hands on. We gave away a bunch of stuff, and in the process of doing so got to hear some excellent comments from our very-savvy readership. Some were funny, thoughtful, and even inspiring; we truly appreciate our readership and we were happy to help you guys out over the holidays.

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On Lifehack.org we had about 395 comments over the 12 Days and on our Facebook fan page about 240. We also gave away well over $1,000 worth of prizes (not including the shipping and handling that some of the companies picked up the tab on!). It was awesome to see all of our readers participating and we hope that in 2012 we can bring you more giveaways that help you get your work down faster and better.

But, wait a minute, it’s not over… We still have to choose our last winner who will receive the JetPens Paper Productivity Starter Pack! Brian Damitz, in a very hybrid input fashion, answered the question, “What are the 3 things you’ve written down as goals for 2012 — and did you use a pen, pencil or device to capture them?”

My top three goals for 2012: 1) Finish my Eagle Scout project (My plan is written on blank paper in blue fountain pen) 2) Get a job as an Apple Genius in May/June (I have my tech notes in a notebook, some handwritten, some clipped in) 3) Get certified as a Google Apps Trainer (My notes are in Google Docs and double as presentation material)The funny thing is, our family gives office supplies for Christmas a lot. We have an affinity for good writing materials. (To be honest, I lost my last pencil, which is unusual for me, and I’ve felt so unproductive since.)

Thanks a lot, Brian. Hopefully your new JetPens Paper Productivity Starter Pack will help you realize all of your goals this year.

Also, we had a commenter from the Jetpens giveaway that was truly in the holiday spirit by giving up his entry to help the needy Moleskine users out there:

Instead of entering the contest today I have decided to step back and let one of the Moleskine users win (hopefully) so they can be introduced to a better writing experience. The Maruman notebook has beautiful paper that is a dream to write on. Good luck. It seems that Moleskine has either dropped the quality of their paper in the past couple of years or I just started using nicer paper. Either way there are so many better options for the same or similar price.

We don’t have anything for you, Bornagainscholar, other than a sincere thanks for looking out for you fellow Lifehack readers. So, thanks!

And that’s it folks. Once again, we at Lifehack would like to thank all of our readers for entering and participating as well as the companies (links below) that helped make these giveaways possible. Without you guys this wouldn’t have been nearly as successful or fun. Thanks!

How to Write a Personal Mission Statement to Ensure Peak Productivity

Most of you made personal, one sentence resolutions like “I want to lose weight” or “I vow to go back to school.” It is a tradition to start the New Year with things you want to achieve, but under the influence resolutions are often unrealistic.

If you’re wondering when will be a good time to write a mission statement, NOW is the time to take a personal inventory to make this year your most productive year ever. You may be asking yourself, “How am I going to do that?” You, my friends, are going to write personal mission statements.

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A large number of corporations use mission statements to define the purpose of the company’s existence. Sony wants to “become the company most known for changing the worldwide poor-quality image of Japanese products” and 3M wants “to solve unsolved problems innovatively”. A personal mission statement is different than a corporate mission statement, but the fundamentals are the same.

So why do you need one? A personal statement will help you identify your core values and beliefs in one fluid tapestry of content that you can read anytime and anywhere to stay on task toward success.

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For example, Tom Cruise in Jerry Maguire came to the realization that he had lost track of what was important to him. After writing a personal mission statement, we saw him start his own business and he got the girl, Renee Zelleweger. Not bad, wouldn’t you say? A personal mission statement will make sure that, through all the texting, emailing and constant bombardment of on-the-go activity, you won’t lose sight of what is most important to you.

Mission statements can be simple and concise while others are longer and filled with detail. The length of your personal mission statement will not be determined until you follow this simple equation to create your motivational springboard for 2008.

To begin your internal cleansing, you will need to jot down the required information in the following five steps:

What are your values? Values steer your actions and determine where you spend time, energy, and most importantly, money. Be specific and unique to yourself. Too much generalization will not be as effective. It is called a “personal” mission statement for a reason.

What are three important goals you hope to achieve this year? Keep your list of important goals small and give them a date. It is better to focus on the horizon and not the stars. Realistic goals are keys to ultimate success.

What image do you hope to project to yourself? How you see yourself is how the world will view you. Think about this carefully. Your image should encompass what you look like and feel after you have achieved your goals.

Write down action statements from each value describing how you will use those values to achieve your three goals. Start with “I will…”

Rewrite your statement to include only your action statements. Make portable copies for your wallet, car or office.

If you followed the steps above, congratulations! You have just written your first personal mission statement. Your personal statement will change over the years as your goals change. You can have more than one statement for the different compartments of your life such as your career, family, marriage, etc.

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Writing a personal mission statement is an effective method to ensure your productivity is at its peak. It is an ideal tradition to start so that when next year rolls around, the outdated practice of resolutions will be something you permanently left in the past.